Monday, May 3, 1999 Published at 16:38 GMT 17:38 UKBlair warns against voter apathyTony Blair: Vigilant against complacencyPrime Minister Tony Blair has made a televised appeal to urge Labour voters to turn
out in the local elections.

In a recognition that Labour sees its greatest danger as a low turn-out, Mr
Blair used a party political broadcast on Tuesday to urge people not to "risk"
Labour's successes.

He said: "We've been a government for two years now; your mortgages are
at the lowest level for over 30 years; we've got huge new investment coming into
our schools and hospitals; a statutory national minimum wage for the first time
in Britain and the biggest-ever increase in child benefit.

"Don't put all this at risk, we need local and national government working
together.

"The Conservatives are a mess. We can offer the leadership this country needs
but we need you to come out and support us in the local elections this
Thursday."

A Labour spokesman said: "The big issue for us is going to be turn-out. There
is a sense abroad amongst Labour voters that they finished the job two years
ago.

"We need to say to those Labour voters that there are good reasons to come
out."

Tories urge 'final push'

Michael Ancram: Predicting Tory gains

The Tories, in particular, are hopeful that complacency among Labour voters could help their efforts to regain lost ground.

Conservative Party Chairman Michael Ancram has urged Tory activists to
make a "final push" for victory.

"This week's local council elections offer us an unrivalled
opportunity to re-establish the Conservative Party as the natural party of local
government," he said.

"Labour's obsession with grabbing more power for the men in Whitehall
contrasts sharply with the Tory creed of putting local people and their
communities in charge of local services.

"And Labour's catalogue of waste and corruption in town halls it controls
gives the lie to Tony Blair's pledge to clean-up local government."

He said "substantial gains" were within the grasp of the Tory party.

Commentators predict a turn-out of between 20% to 30% in the local elections.

This would be slightly down on the 32% recorded at the local elections last year - but on that occasion there were elections in London which increased the
average as turn-out in the capital is traditionally higher than elsewhere.